You Still Have a Job to Do by Susan Vagnoni Murphy

One of the best pieces of advice I can give is you is to continue your life as if you are still employed. This is Tip #7 and I cannot express how important it is in helping you stay productive and maintain sanity. People who are not in your shoes may not understand how uncomfortable it is to not have that job to get up for each day. It saps your sense of purpose and sense of self. However, by giving yourself goals and keeping to a schedule you can make this the perfect time to create a renewed sense of how valuable you are.

So, how do you conduct yourself as if you still have a job?  Here is a quick list of habits to keep or create to keep you job-ready:

1.       Have a regular, early rising time.

2.       Maintain a personal dress code.  You never know when you will run into someone you may want to impress. Dress a step up from the crowd - you will feel better for it.

3.       Use your calendar and keep it up to date. Find activities to get out of the house that give you things to do and to look forward to.

4.       Find ways to keep working. Ex: If you are a writer, keep writing; if you are a teacher, find someone to tutor; if you repair cars, find one to work on (maybe help a friend).

5.       Increase your skills.  This is an optimum time for professional development, or to fill in the skill gaps you have.  Organizations like DEED, the Workforce Center, HIRED, Goodwill, Mentoring Partnership of MN and online webinars offer a great variety of free classes and workshops to keep you moving forward as a lifelong learner.

6.       Make a task list for the day and check things off as you would the projects you tackled in your previous job.

7.       Get out there and network.  Making new contacts and caring for those you already have are crucial to being in-the-know and staying in people’s minds.

8.       Volunteer – it will lift your spirits and let you use your talents.

9.       Guess what, you have the time for all that reading you kept putting off! Catch up on business journals, leadership books and articles that you never had time for while you were working.

10.   Always give yourself goals to work for and keep records of everything you are working on. You can’t remember everything you’ve done without keeping a list. Being able to recall and recount those activities could come in handy during a job interview.

Oh yes, don’t forget to find time to do something fun.  You used to go out for a happy hour or a work event.  You can still do that – just find a new crowd and let off a little steam; you earned it!  I am rooting for you - Susan